Yang Kuang and Elleyne Kase
me or I?: Usage Guide
Me is used in many constructions where strict grammarians prescribe I. This usage is not so much ungrammatical as indicative of the shrinking range of the nominative form: me began to replace I sometime around the 16th century largely because of the pressure of word order. I is now chiefly used as the subject of an immediately following verb. Me occurs in every other position: absolutely
, emphatically
, and after prepositions, conjunctions, and verbs, including be.
Almost all usage books recognize the legitimacy of me in these positions, especially in speech; some recommend I in formal and especially written contexts after be and after as and than when the first term of the comparison is the subject of a verb.
-i-
8 of 8affix
Examples of i in a Sentence
Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 15 Sep. 2023
At the mention of the i-word — influencer, in this case — Haq seems to almost flinch.
—Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Her work has previously appeared in Interview, i-D, Teen Vogue, Nylon, and more.
—Juliana Ukiomogbe, ELLE, 5 Sep. 2023
Under macOS, click the Info (i) button next to the version number.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 11 July 2023
Each word contains the major vowels, a-e-i-o-u, in a different order.
12.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2023
As the first trans woman signed to IMG Models, she's modeled for magazines like Dazed and i-D while walking in New York Fashion Week, and starred in Victoria’s Secret campaigns with models including Iman.
—Henry Chandonnet, Peoplemag, 6 July 2023
The Referee shall have the following options after video review of his own call: (i) confirming his original Major Penalty call; (ii) reducing his original Major Penalty call to a lesser penalty; or (iii) rescinding the original Major Penalty altogether.
—Mike Brehm, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2023
Employers qualify as an eligible employer under three circumstances: (i) Recovery Startup Businesses, (ii) employers that experienced a qualifying decline in quarterly gross receipts; or (iii) business operations suspended under governmental orders.
—Jessica Ledingham, J.d., Ll.m., Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'i.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Pronoun
Middle English, from Old English ic; akin to Old High German ih I, Latin ego, Greek egō
Affix
Latin, thematic vowel of most nouns and adjectives in combination
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Pronoun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
1539, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing i
Dictionary Entries Near i
Cite this Entry
“I.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/i. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
i
1 of 2 nounI
2 of 2 pronoun
Medical Definition
i
1 of 2 abbreviationI
2 of 2 symbol
More from Merriam-Webster on i
Nglish: Translation of i for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of i for Arabic Speakers
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